Hi Everyone. Sorry it's been a few days since we posted an update. Now that Mom is more herself, we spend more time at the hospital than we do blogging!
She is showing signs of improvement everyday. It really is amazing how much mobility she has gained in the week she's been in rehab. As her OT described it, Mom is going from a state of complete dependence to becoming independent, and, at times, that transition is rough, as Mom discovers what she can and can't do. She has to overcome a lot of fears as she starts to move things around again, but she is doing really well. This morning, I took her breakfast (she is now completely sick of hospital food!) and she asked for me just to sit it down and let her feed herself. It's not always easy or tidy for her, but she's been really good about testing her limits vs. just letting us do everything for her.
Each day, I print the personal e-mails sent to her and read them to her. She enjoys them. Know that she hears them and enjoys them, even though she isn't able to respond to you right now! She had her first phone call yesterday, with her long-time friend, Linda. She's still not quite up to talking a lot, but I don't think it will be long. She still can't pick up a phone and put it to her ear, so phone calls require quite a bit of coordination. I know many of you are missing her voice, so I will be sure to let you know when she's ready to talk.
I'm awaiting a call back from Dr. Coufal, Mom's orthopedic surgeon, to find out when her bone graft will be, and to ask some questions about her weight bearing status in her right arm and leg, which will affect her PT and OT. We should have a much better idea about her treatment plan once he calls me back.
Here's Mom's schedule for today, just so you have an idea of what her days look like:
8:30 Breakfast
9:15 OT
9:45 OT/PT
11:00 Psych
11:45 Speech Therapy
12:30 Lunch
1:45 PT
3:15 Recreational Therapy
5:30 Dinner
She has been busy in the evenings with visitors - lots of Geoff & Heather's friends have been stopping in to see her, plus Geoff, Heather and me. We'll be over there tonight carving pumpkins in her room after dinner. I don't think I'll trust her with a knife just yet!
That's all for now. Thanks for your support.
love,
jennifer
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Quick Update
Hi. I just wanted to send a quick update before bed. Mom is getting clearer and clearer each day. As she says it, she's "getting her brain back." She's doing a lot of hard work each day, and it's really starting to show. She can now hold a cup with her left hand and she's even able to control her right wrist and fingers, which is great considering she has nerve damage in her right arm, which has caused her right wrist to "drop." She didn't sleep well last night, but, when I left tonight, she seemed much more at ease, so I hope tonight is better for her. Tomorrow, she starts therapy at 7:45 and is pretty much booked until mid afternoon. The activity is good for her physically and mentally and she really likes her therapists and her rehabilitation doctor.
Tonight, I washed her hair for her. Of course, after saying cheerfully, "here we go, Mom!", I proceeded to dump the soap in her eye. Thankfully, she was in a good mood, and just joked with me, saying "please, at least let me have my eyesight!" It all turned out well, and, hopefully by next week, she'll get a professional cut. Oh - she got a massage today, too. CPMC provides wellness therapies, so she can get regular massages and other wellness services, which is great.
Her medical "team", which consists of all her doctors, therapists, etc. will meet tomorrow to discuss a plan for mom's treatment. They meet weekly for each patient. So, we should have a little more info tomorrow after the meeting.
All in all, she's keeping her wits about her and is laughing a lot. I took her a stack of e-mails from friends and read them to her, so, feel free to keep sending e-mails to her at sherylwow3@aol.com and I'll be sure to share them with her right away.
love,
jennifer
Tonight, I washed her hair for her. Of course, after saying cheerfully, "here we go, Mom!", I proceeded to dump the soap in her eye. Thankfully, she was in a good mood, and just joked with me, saying "please, at least let me have my eyesight!" It all turned out well, and, hopefully by next week, she'll get a professional cut. Oh - she got a massage today, too. CPMC provides wellness therapies, so she can get regular massages and other wellness services, which is great.
Her medical "team", which consists of all her doctors, therapists, etc. will meet tomorrow to discuss a plan for mom's treatment. They meet weekly for each patient. So, we should have a little more info tomorrow after the meeting.
All in all, she's keeping her wits about her and is laughing a lot. I took her a stack of e-mails from friends and read them to her, so, feel free to keep sending e-mails to her at sherylwow3@aol.com and I'll be sure to share them with her right away.
love,
jennifer
Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday already
I stayed at the hospital with Mom last night. She slept really well, which was great to see. I feel like I'm learning, somewhat, what it must be like to have a child. As tired as I was last night, I just lay there, watching her to make sure she was okay, sometimes completely overwhelmed by what is really happening. I thought about the last time we shared a room... the night before the accident at Geoff's apartment. We slept in the same bed, and, every morning, she would wake up and ask me "did I snorkel?" (her cute term for snoring). Last night, I was relieved to hear her snorkeling, which normally drives me nuts, since I'm such a light sleeper. Each time she moved, I wanted to get up and help her, but I let her do what she could on her own. But it was hard to watch her - how much effort it takes her just to roll over. To see her right hand come across the bed, searching for something to grab to pull herself onto her side, although it still lacks the strength to make a tight grip. The simplest things - rolling over, brushing teeth, scratching her face - require so much effort or someone else to do it for her. As I celebrate her small victories and her progress, it is heart wrenching to see my mom - such a vibrant, feisty, active woman - in this shape.
Today, Heather and I are working on finding someone to come do Mom's hair. She's been asking for a cut ever since she got to rehab, and I know it will make her feel better to get a bit of pampering, too.
love,
jennifer
Today, Heather and I are working on finding someone to come do Mom's hair. She's been asking for a cut ever since she got to rehab, and I know it will make her feel better to get a bit of pampering, too.
love,
jennifer
Sunday, October 26, 2008
A real fighter...
Hello All,
I stayed at the hospital last night with mom, and things are moving in the right direction. She needed help throughout the night to stay comfortable, so I got no sleep and tended to her. She really doesn't like it too much, this whole incapacitation thing. At around 4 in the morning, I was standing over her, waiting for the nurse in the dark. She says "don't just keep standing there, you look pathetic!" I started laughing and said "It's pretty funny you telling me that I look pathetic. You can't even get out of bed!" We both laughed a good one from that.
Today mom met with her Occupational therapist who was great. She helped get mom into a wheelchair and took her into the hall. Mom was not able to tolerate sitting up, and her blood pressure dropped, but it was a good start. We got her back into bed and the OT showed me some range of motion exercises to do with mom's left arm.
When I got back to the hospital after dinner, the first thing mom said was "look at my arm. I have been working on it." She lifted it towards her face, better than she had been able. I almost cried as I told her what a great job she was doing. She'll be fine, but it's going to be a hard road, and just because she is strong enough to get better, does not mean that she should have ever had this happen to her.
Love,
Geoff
I stayed at the hospital last night with mom, and things are moving in the right direction. She needed help throughout the night to stay comfortable, so I got no sleep and tended to her. She really doesn't like it too much, this whole incapacitation thing. At around 4 in the morning, I was standing over her, waiting for the nurse in the dark. She says "don't just keep standing there, you look pathetic!" I started laughing and said "It's pretty funny you telling me that I look pathetic. You can't even get out of bed!" We both laughed a good one from that.
Today mom met with her Occupational therapist who was great. She helped get mom into a wheelchair and took her into the hall. Mom was not able to tolerate sitting up, and her blood pressure dropped, but it was a good start. We got her back into bed and the OT showed me some range of motion exercises to do with mom's left arm.
When I got back to the hospital after dinner, the first thing mom said was "look at my arm. I have been working on it." She lifted it towards her face, better than she had been able. I almost cried as I told her what a great job she was doing. She'll be fine, but it's going to be a hard road, and just because she is strong enough to get better, does not mean that she should have ever had this happen to her.
Love,
Geoff
Busy Lady
Mom is settling in well to Rehab. Geoff stayed the night there last night, and I will tonight, just to help her get used to her new digs.
She is certainly a lot more busy than she was in the hospital, with 3 - 6 hours of therapy per day. Today, her OT and PT helped her to "transfer" from bed into a wheel chair. Right now, she can only bear weight on her left arm, so she can assist by pushing with that arm, although it's still a bit weak after not being used for so long. They use a wooden apparatus, which has wooden rollers on it, to slide her safely from one surface to the next. The plan was to take her outside, so they got her dressed in her own clothes for the outing. But, because she's been laying down for several days, her blood pressure dropped when they got her up into the chair. Apparently, this is quite common, and she should be fine to be sitting up for longer stretches after a couple more days getting acclimated again.
I spent a lot of time with mom today. She is MUCH more lucid. I'd say she's making sense about 90% of the time now. The nurses, who don't quite get her sense of humor yet, might say otherwise! She told her OT that she was "up with the chickens today", so mom had to explain what she meant, so the OT knew she hadn't completely lost it!
Considering all that mom has gone through, she is doing remarkably well emotionally. She is keeping her sense of humor and seems incredibly patient about the long-term timeline of all this. Don't get me wrong... she has her teary moments and talks about how she can't believe this has happened to her, but, all things considered, she is grateful to be alive, grateful for her friends and family, and is already making travel plans for when she's better. It's good to see her looking ahead.
She asked me to tell all of you thank you for your support and to ask for prayers as she continues to recover. She's worried about her bone graft surgery (in 2 - 3 weeks), so she requests prayers for that, too. I told her that she had actually gone through the worst surgeries already, but, of course, she doesn't remember that, so she's worrying about a much less complex procedure.
If you want to send mom a personal e-mail, send it to her at sherylwow3@aol.com. I'm checking her e-mail and will pass along your message. And, still feel free to send her cards! She loves them.
love & gratitude,
jennifer
She is certainly a lot more busy than she was in the hospital, with 3 - 6 hours of therapy per day. Today, her OT and PT helped her to "transfer" from bed into a wheel chair. Right now, she can only bear weight on her left arm, so she can assist by pushing with that arm, although it's still a bit weak after not being used for so long. They use a wooden apparatus, which has wooden rollers on it, to slide her safely from one surface to the next. The plan was to take her outside, so they got her dressed in her own clothes for the outing. But, because she's been laying down for several days, her blood pressure dropped when they got her up into the chair. Apparently, this is quite common, and she should be fine to be sitting up for longer stretches after a couple more days getting acclimated again.
I spent a lot of time with mom today. She is MUCH more lucid. I'd say she's making sense about 90% of the time now. The nurses, who don't quite get her sense of humor yet, might say otherwise! She told her OT that she was "up with the chickens today", so mom had to explain what she meant, so the OT knew she hadn't completely lost it!
Considering all that mom has gone through, she is doing remarkably well emotionally. She is keeping her sense of humor and seems incredibly patient about the long-term timeline of all this. Don't get me wrong... she has her teary moments and talks about how she can't believe this has happened to her, but, all things considered, she is grateful to be alive, grateful for her friends and family, and is already making travel plans for when she's better. It's good to see her looking ahead.
She asked me to tell all of you thank you for your support and to ask for prayers as she continues to recover. She's worried about her bone graft surgery (in 2 - 3 weeks), so she requests prayers for that, too. I told her that she had actually gone through the worst surgeries already, but, of course, she doesn't remember that, so she's worrying about a much less complex procedure.
If you want to send mom a personal e-mail, send it to her at sherylwow3@aol.com. I'm checking her e-mail and will pass along your message. And, still feel free to send her cards! She loves them.
love & gratitude,
jennifer
Saturday, October 25, 2008
New Room
Hi All. Mom changed rooms today, to room 357. Apparently, her first room, was far too noisy, due to its close proximity to the nursing station. The nurses are loud and don't seem to quiet down overnight, so Mom wasn't able to sleep well last night. Her new room is further down the hall, and her roommate (the rehab has only 2 private rooms) has very nice family who comes to visit her. So, Mom will have a bit more socialization in her new room.
Mom started PT and OT today. She has a pretty busy schedule now that she's at rehab with PT, OT and Speech Pathology each day. The Speech Pathologist will work with her not so much on her ability to speak, but on her words and cognitive skills. We see her coming back to herself more and more each day, but the SP will be able to help move that along even more. She'll also have a Recreational Therapist, who will work with her on things she likes to do. She's even bringing her dog to the rehab on Monday, since Mom told her she likes dogs!
While Mom is clearly in a place that will aggressively work to gain her some independence, we are all missing John Muir in Walnut Creek. CPMC certainly doesn't tend to Mom (or us!) like they did at John Muir, where she had been ever since the accident. Rehab doesn't seem to be quite as compassionate and kind. But, we all get to transition as she gets better and better.
Geoff is spending the night at the hospital with Mom tonight, to help her get acclimated. Tomorrow, she starts PT at 9:15 - right after breakfast - so we'll head in to see her later in the morning. When I was there this evening, she was much more relaxed and her room was much quieter. She has a beautiful view of San Francisco from her room, which she loves.
As she wakes up and the new staff ask her questions, it is clear that she knows what happened to her. She will tell the staff about the accident (in a nutshell), but she will not talk about it any further. Tonight, she did say to me "I just can't believe I'm like this," which just kills me because I can't believe it either. I'm glad she's starting to talk about it, or at least acknowledge it. She'll be seeing a Psychiatrist starting Monday, which will help even more.
I'm off to bed. It's been a busy day today. It is Heather's birthday, so we (Geoff, Heather, me and some of Heather's friends) went to the world's largest corn maze. We split into teams and OUR TEAM WON (thanks to Geoff's competitive nature... er, navigational skills!) at getting out the fastest. 40 acres of corn maze! Anyway, that sandwiched between hospital visits can wear a girl out.
More later.
love,
jennifer
Mom started PT and OT today. She has a pretty busy schedule now that she's at rehab with PT, OT and Speech Pathology each day. The Speech Pathologist will work with her not so much on her ability to speak, but on her words and cognitive skills. We see her coming back to herself more and more each day, but the SP will be able to help move that along even more. She'll also have a Recreational Therapist, who will work with her on things she likes to do. She's even bringing her dog to the rehab on Monday, since Mom told her she likes dogs!
While Mom is clearly in a place that will aggressively work to gain her some independence, we are all missing John Muir in Walnut Creek. CPMC certainly doesn't tend to Mom (or us!) like they did at John Muir, where she had been ever since the accident. Rehab doesn't seem to be quite as compassionate and kind. But, we all get to transition as she gets better and better.
Geoff is spending the night at the hospital with Mom tonight, to help her get acclimated. Tomorrow, she starts PT at 9:15 - right after breakfast - so we'll head in to see her later in the morning. When I was there this evening, she was much more relaxed and her room was much quieter. She has a beautiful view of San Francisco from her room, which she loves.
As she wakes up and the new staff ask her questions, it is clear that she knows what happened to her. She will tell the staff about the accident (in a nutshell), but she will not talk about it any further. Tonight, she did say to me "I just can't believe I'm like this," which just kills me because I can't believe it either. I'm glad she's starting to talk about it, or at least acknowledge it. She'll be seeing a Psychiatrist starting Monday, which will help even more.
I'm off to bed. It's been a busy day today. It is Heather's birthday, so we (Geoff, Heather, me and some of Heather's friends) went to the world's largest corn maze. We split into teams and OUR TEAM WON (thanks to Geoff's competitive nature... er, navigational skills!) at getting out the fastest. 40 acres of corn maze! Anyway, that sandwiched between hospital visits can wear a girl out.
More later.
love,
jennifer
Friday, October 24, 2008
New place to send wishes of all kinds
Just wanted to let everyone know Sheryl moved today and you can send cards, letters and flowers to:
Sheryl Barrett
California Pacific Regional Rehabilitation Center
Castro at Duboce Street
Davies Campus South Tower
Room 357
San Francisco, CA 94114
Sheryl Barrett
California Pacific Regional Rehabilitation Center
Castro at Duboce Street
Davies Campus South Tower
Room 357
San Francisco, CA 94114
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